48 m. ago Chernobyl safety shield damaged, UN confirms. Ukraine blames Russian drones

A protective shield at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in war-torn Ukraine, built to contain radioactive material from the 1986 disaster, can no longer perform its main safety function due to drone damage, the UN nuclear watchdog said on Friday, a strike Ukraine has attributed to Russia. The International Atomic Energy Agency said an inspection last week of the steel confinement structure completed in 2019 found the drone impact in February, three years into Russia’s conflict in Ukraine, had...

Events

3 h. ago Trump talks trade with Canada, Mexico leaders at World Cup draw

US President Donald Trump met with the leaders of Mexico and Canada to discuss trade issues on Friday after the leaders hosted the 2026 World Cup draw at Washington’s storied Kennedy Centre. The White House said Trump held talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum after the star-studded event, but gave no details on their discussions. Canadian media said the meeting lasted for 45 minutes and the leaders spoke on their own, with no staff present. Trump...

Politics

8 h. ago How should Europe position itself for systemic rivalry with China?

How should Europe position itself for systemic rivalry with China?  Brookings

Politics

9 h. ago What Does China Want? Depends Which China You’re Talking About.

What Does China Want? Depends Which China You’re Talking About.  The Diplomat – Asia-Pacific Current Affairs Magazine

Politics

10 h. ago EU hits Musk’s X with US$140 million fine, risking Trump’s ire

The European Union hit Elon Musk’s X with a €120 million (US$140 million) fine on Friday for breaking its digital rules, in a move that risks a fresh clash with US President Donald Trump’s administration. The high-profile probe into the social media platform was seen as a test of the EU’s resolve to police Big Tech. US Vice-President J.D. Vance fired a warning against “attacking” US firms through “censorship” before the penalty was even made public. Imposing the first fine under its powerful...

Events

10 h. ago How Europe is scrambling to reduce dependence on China’s rare earths

How Europe is scrambling to reduce dependence on China’s rare earths  CNBC

Politics

10 h. ago Matson follows customers adopting 'China Plus One' strategy amid tariff uncertainty

Matson follows customers adopting 'China Plus One' strategy amid tariff uncertainty  The Business Journals

Economics

11 h. ago Dutch minister admits he was blindsided by China in Nexperia chip crisis

Export controls may have been the economic weapon of choice in 2025, but the Dutch minister at the centre of the Nexperia crisis has admitted he was blindsided by Beijing when it blocked the company’s chips from leaving China. His concession raises fresh questions over how much planning went into the decision to reach for a Cold War-era law to intervene in the Chinese-owned, Dutch-headquartered chipmaker in September, a move that triggered a supply chain shock in the global automotive...

Politics

15 h. ago BYD founder bets on new tech to win back customers as sales decelerate

BYD, China’s electric vehicle (EV) king, is pinning its hopes on next-generation technology to engineer a turnaround in sales amid fierce competition in the world’s largest automotive market, according to its founder and chairman Wang Chuanfu. Speaking at a shareholders’ meeting in Shenzhen on Friday, the billionaire said the company’s 12,000 engineers – the backbone of the carmaker – would help it regain a technological edge over rivals. “We have heavyweight new technology in the pipeline,” he...

Economics

19 h. ago Europe ‘fighting the China dragon’ as export pressures build, says Goldman

Europe ‘fighting the China dragon’ as export pressures build, says Goldman  Investing.com

Events

20 h. ago French, Chinese presidents hold informal talks in southwestern China

French, Chinese presidents hold informal talks in southwestern China  Anadolu Ajansı

Politics

24 h. ago Drones spotted near Zelensky’s flight path to Dublin spark security alert

An Irish navy ship spotted up to five drones operating near the flight path of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s aircraft as he arrived for a state visit to Ireland on Monday, local media reported on Thursday. The sighting triggered a major security alert amid fears it was an attempt to interfere with the flight path, the Irish Times reported. It quoted unnamed sources as saying the aircraft, which arrived slightly early, was not in any danger. The Ukrainian delegation arrived late on...

Events

25 h. ago Meta plans budget cuts as high as 30% to its metaverse efforts

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to cut resources for building the so-called metaverse, an effort that he once framed as the future of the company and the reason for changing its name from Facebook. Executives were considering potential budget cuts as high as 30 per cent for the metaverse group next year, which includes the virtual worlds product Meta Horizon Worlds and its Quest virtual reality (VR) unit, according to people familiar with the talks, who asked not to be named while...

Politics

32 h. ago Israel cleared to stay in Eurovision; Spain, Ireland and others boycott

Israel on Thursday was cleared to enter the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, prompting Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia to follow through on their threats to withdraw from the competition over the war in Gaza. After a meeting in Geneva, contest organiser the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) decided not to call a vote on Israel’s involvement and said it had instead passed rules aimed at discouraging governments from influencing the contest. Right after that announcement, the Dutch,...

Politics

32 h. ago Israel cleared to stay in Eurovision as several countries boycott contest

Israel was cleared on Thursday to enter the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest by the organiser, prompting Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia to withdraw over the Gaza war and plunging the competition into one of the biggest rows in its history. The broadcasters who had threatened to boycott the event cited the death count in Gaza and accused Israel of flouting rules meant to guard the contest’s neutrality. Israel accuses its critics of mounting a global smear campaign against it. After a...

Politics

35 h. ago China's Changan bringing Avatr, Nevo EV brands to Europe within two years, executive says

China's Changan bringing Avatr, Nevo EV brands to Europe within two years, executive says  Reuters

Economics

36 h. ago EDANA: European Commission Imposes Registration On Imports Of PET Spunbond From China

EDANA: European Commission Imposes Registration On Imports Of PET Spunbond From China  Textile World

Events

37 h. ago Beijing talks focus on trade, diplomacy, and ending Ukraine hostilities

Beijing talks focus on trade, diplomacy, and ending Ukraine hostilities  France 24

Politics

38 h. ago UK Novichok report blames Putin for ‘reckless’ poisoning of ex

Russian President Vladimir Putin must have ordered the Novichok nerve agent attack on Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in 2018, in an “astonishingly reckless” act that led to the death of an innocent woman, a UK public inquiry concluded on Thursday. Skripal was found along with his daughter Yulia slumped unconscious on a public bench in the southern English city of Salisbury in March 2018 after Novichok was applied to the front door handle of his nearby home. About four months later,...

Politics

38 h. ago Trump tariffs live updates: US may exit USMCA next year; Trump meets Nvidia's Huang to talk AI chip curbs

Trump tariffs live updates: US may exit USMCA next year; Trump meets Nvidia's Huang to talk AI chip curbs  Yahoo Finance

Politics